Instructors

Karen Reilly - Director of Family Manners Training

Karen has been teaching for PCOTC since 2003. Currently she is the Family Manners Training Director and teaches Family Manners Program classes: Puppy, Foundation and Skills as well as CGC/TDI classes.

Helping handlers to understand their dogs and build that all important trust is key in Karen’s teaching. Karen's philosophy is using hands off training as much as possible, using positive reinforcement and operant conditioning.

Karen is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She is certified by Sue Sternberg for the CASA shelter dog program for Training Wheels and Train to Adopt. She has been the volunteer dog trainer for the SPCA of Westchester located in Briarcliff Manor, NY since May 2001.

Karen is founder of the SPCA's Lead The Way program (teaching the public to walk, socialize and teach basic behaviors to the shelter dogs increasing their adopt-ability). She also evaluates dogs for the Golden Outreach Program run by the shelter.

Karen's current teachers are her Siberian Husky Yukon and Leo a "what kind of dog is that?" mix. Email her at pawsforobedience@yahoo.com

Nancy Field

Nancy Field teaches Family Manners Puppy, Foundation, Skills, and Unleashed. She has been a member of PCOTC since 2000, and began instructing classes in 2005. She is committed to force-free, reward-based training methods, geared to enhancing the human/canine relationship. A Certified Pet Dog Trainer, she has been a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 1997. She also offers private in-home training and behavior problem solving under the name of Harmony Dog Training.

Her lifelong passion for animals has led to a unique variety of experiences. During her college years, while completing a B.A. in Biology, she spent summers working for the Children’s Zoo at the Bronx Zoo, and was a groom at Finger Lakes Racetrack and at boarding stables in Westchester. She began working professionally with dogs in 1994, after completing a six-month dog training apprenticeship with the ASPCA’s Behavior Department.

Nancy competes in rally obedience with her Labrador Retrievers, Nigel (Matego Nigel CGC, RN, RL3) and Emma (Legacy’s Mrs. Peel, RL2). She is currently training Emma in agility.

In addition to working with dogs and their people, Nancy also has had a 25-year career as a freelance book designer and typesetter for major publishing companies including Random House, HarperCollins, and John Wiley & Sons.

You may email Nancy directly.

Mary Horne

Mary has loved, lived with and trained dogs and other animals her whole life. An avid fan of reward-based training and especially clicker training, Mary is passionate about helping dog owners develop lasting partnerships with their canine companions based on effective communication, caring and trust. She uses a variety of force-free, dog- and people-friendly training techniques, all of which are founded on the modern science of how dogs and humans learn. She truly believes that training should be fun at both ends of the leash!

Mary enjoys training and competing with her own dogs (two Labs and two rescues), who hold multiple titles in a variety of venues including AKC and CDSP Obedience and AKC and APDT Rally Obedience. In addition to teaching at PCOTC, she owns Good Dog “U”, LLC, a private Stamford, CT–based training business. She is a 2001 honors graduate of the San Francisco Academy for Dog Trainers, led by behaviorist Jean Donaldson (Culture Clash, Dogs are from Neptune, etc.).

A certified trainer (CPDT) since 2003, Mary is a registered evaluator for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen program and a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). She is former Executive Trainer for the Good Dog Foundation's animal-assisted therapy training program. Prior to founding Good Dog “U” in 1999, she spent nearly 20 years in international business and crisis management. Mary annually attends a variety of educational events to keep ahead of the curve in modern dog training. Reach Mary via email at GoodDogU@optonline.net

Jamie McKay

Jamie's early training experience was gained with shelter dogs and shelter volunteers, providing training to homeless pets to enhance their adoptability, and training new volunteers in safe handling, behavioral training and deciphering of canine body language. Since 2003, her involvement with the New Rochelle Humane Society's Train-To-Adopt program has afforded her the opportunity to work with both a diverse group of people and a large assortment of breeds and temperaments.

Jamie is an evaluator for the AKC's Canine Good Citizen program, an evaluator for Therapy Dogs International, and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Her Golden Retriever, Keltie, was an AKC Canine Ambassador. Jamie is active in pet therapy work with visits to senior citizens and children with autism and related disorders.

Jamie regularly attends seminars and is especially interested in learning theory and canine behavior. She believes that a solid training foundation leads to a strong bond, develops the dog's focus and work ethic, and ultimately leads to success regardless of what goals each team aspires to.

Jamie trains her own dogs in rally obedience and agility. She has competed in rally, but she leaves agility competition to her husband, Stephen. While she enjoys the titles and ribbons her dogs have achieved, she first and foremost treasures the relationship she has with her dogs.

Jamie and Stephen are owned by two Shetland Sheepdogs, a West Highland White Terrier, and a Golden Retriever. Jamie can be reached at jamiemckay@optonline.net

Peg Munves

Peg Munves, CPDT, teaches Family Manners Foundations, Skills, CONNECT!, CGC/TDI, and Rally at PCOTC. Her classes encourage building a cooperative, happy, working relationship based on establishing clear communication and on understanding and reading a dog's body language.

An APDT Rally Judge and Rep and active competitor, and a UKC Rally Judge, Peg and her yellow Labrador retriever, ARCHMX Franklin Hill's Jumpin' Jazz CDX-H, RL3X8, RL2X10, RL1X12, RE, Good Dog Foundation Therapy Dog, CGC, enjoy participating in Canine Water Sports, therapy work and competing in obedience. Jumpin' Jazz is the 2009 #1 overall, #1 ranking ARCHMX dog in APDT Rally Obedience.

A versatile trainer, Peg is a Senior Trainer and Talent Scout for All Creatures Great and Small with hundreds of jobs under her belt. Jazz has dozens of credits, from television shows to print ads. The team also participates in local educational outreach events promoting safety and safe handling for children and families, therapy dog work, and the benefits and fun of training companion dogs.

Owner of STEP IN TIME TRAINING, LLC in New York City, Peg services clients in New York City, Fairfield, Westchester and surrounding counties, helping them with new puppies to behavioral consults.

Peg trains with renowned trainers Sassie Joiris and Suzanne Clothier, and she has also interned with Sue Sternberg and Jane Kopelman at Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption. Contact Peg via email at pmunves@panix.com

Joanne Sheffler

I've taken classes at PCOTC since 1991. In 1998 I was elected to PCOTC's board and have been on the Board since then as Seminar Chair. I'm a regular contributor to the Club's quarterly newsletter.

In 2002 I began teaching with Introduction to Clicker Training, and now teach advanced Advanced Clicker Training as well. In 2003 I became PCOTC's first Rally instructor. In 2008 I added Family Manners Foundations to the classes I teach. I've also taught CGC/Therapy Dog and Flyball. I was CPDT certified in 2007 and I'm an APDT member trainer.

I currently have with two dogs in competition. My white Boxer Jeter, ARCHEX Brillig's Sweet Jeter Jive CD RE CD-H (and too many APDT Rally titles to list), along with our oldest Boxer, Margo, were the first Boxers to earn the AKC Rally Novice title on January 2, 2005. Jeter is the first Boxer to earn the APDT Rally ARCHEX. When retired from AKC sports due to a knee injury, Jeter had earned two legs towards his CDX and several RAE legs. He continues in APDT Rally and St. Hubert's CDSP Obedience competitions, earning his CD-H.

My Sheltie Lola, ARCHX Brigadoon's Bi Sheer Luck CD RE CD-H (and too many APDT Rally titles to list) is presently competing in Obedience and Rally.

I believe it is all a game for the dogs, from the sit, to skateboarding, to scent discrimination—and when it stops being fun, we need to put the fun back into it.

Mary Elizabeth Simpson

An experienced trainer since 1987 and the owner of Joyful Canine Training, Mary-Elizabeth Simpson (APTD, IACP) has worked with various training schools and with professional trainers over the years. She teaches both obedience and agility at Port Chester Obedience Training Club.

Mary Elizabeth is an active competitor in Obedience, Agility and breed competitions with her Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Australian Shepherd and Border Collies. All of her dogs are titled in one or more of those areas. Some have even attained their Canine Good Citizen's Certificate and have attended nursing homes. Not only has Mary-Elizabeth competed her dogs but has done obedience and agility demos, appeared on Channel 12 news in both CT and NY, appeared in the Stamford Advocate and Times as well as Greenwich Times newspapers documenting her training accomplishments. In addition to running her dogs in performance she has also handled other peoples dogs in Agility and breed and done very well.

Mary Elizabeth is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, International Association of Canine Professionals and various breed clubs. Mary-Elizabeth works on a private basis with dogs who have behavioral problems or need basic training or re-training, as well as working with people who are serious competitors in agility and obedience. She does Pembroke Welsh Corgi rescue and has retrained and re-homed many Corgis as well as mixes successfully.